Solvent dyes are used for a great variety of purposes although principally they are used in the mass coloration of plastics materials or in various lacquers and varnishes.
While solvent dyes may, in some cases, be incorporated directly into the product to be colored, as their name suggests, they are usually applied from solutions in organic solvents or mixtures of such solvents.
It has been normal practice to dissolve solvent dyestuffs in solvents such as ethers, esters, ketones, chlorinated hydrocarbons and alcoholic solvents e.g. ethanol. Of these solvents, the alcoholic solvents have become increasingly important because of environmental considerations. Unfortunately, however, dyestuffs having desirably high solubility in alcoholic solvents have not until now been available. There is a need for solvent dyestuffs which are highly soluble in alcoholic solvents, in particular ethanol.